THE VALENTINE ROUTE IN DUBAI
One day, one girl, one city. She’s going to hit the town on the metro, exploring her love for Dubai. Maybe you get inspired!
Our Lady Valentine hits some of her favourite spots in Dubai today. Go along for the ride!
She’s heading to Ibn Batuta Mall to catch the Martin Scorsese flick Silence to see why it took him 30 years (!) to make. Novo Cinemas, your ads are trying, but the lady is coming to you. There’s magic in caramel popcorn.
She remembers Haruki Murakami: “What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.”
Will sample kunafa at Feras Al Diyafa. This is (arguably) one of the best places for kunafa. And she plans to get some packed for her colleagues! At Dubai Marina behind Damac Properties Metro Station, at Diamond 3.
There’s sometimes a vacuum in her life. Our Lady Valentine needs some furry friends. The plan? Pitstop at Noor Bank Metro Station, and visit the petting zoo to have sweet, twitchy rabbits nibble baby carrots off her hands.
She has a thing for Murakami. (“One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone...”) So she’s headed to House of Prose (Dubai Garden Centre near FGB) to catch up on the dreamy stuff and quaff a flat white at Roseleaf Café.
A cycling buff, she’s convinced she ought to head to ‘The Centre of Now’ — Downtown and cycle along the boulevard, in time to see the Burj start twinkling at dusk. Plus, there’s free Wi-Fi. She’s getting off at Burj Khalifa/ Dubai Mall.
For the love of handmade paper (dinosaur-shaped paper clips, and embossed personalised stationery even, who knows?), she’s taking a cab from say, Emirates Towers, to arrive at Jumeirah Plaza to stock up on pretty desk supplies.
Missy’s a gifter! She’s going to head to Qairiat Al Shams Hers Trading, or any one of those vendors, to stock up on some fabulous gifts: figs, cinnamon, saffron, pistachio, frankincense... Her plan? Hop off at Al Ras and walk it, camera in hand, social media on the mind.
She versions Wendy Cope: “A vegetarian whose friends are few, I’m into music, Shakespeare and the sun. Can someone make my simple wish come true?”
To stock up on dried rose petals (for tea, potpourri), she might get off at Mall of the Emirates and walk to Al Golabi Gourmet store, literally behind the mall. Hello, divine whiff of cardamom and rose!
She’s got a date at Ailuromania Café in Jumeirah with other furries to figure out if that allergy to cat hair from last year has died out. Is she in fact, ready to adopt a feline? Watch this space. Meow.
With all that kunafa and coffee, she’s definitely going to burn off those calories. She’s getting off at Business Bay, and taking the scenic route along Dubai Canal, earphones tuned into hip hop.
Any day is a good day for henna. The lady might even want to head to Meena Bazaar (Al Fahidi Station) to get a lacework of henna on her palms (bonus: people watch, have hot sweet tea and sambusek... mmm).
Not one to shy away from a long day, Ms Valentine is meeting the gang at the beach. JLT station and then the tram. Or walk it — perfect weather! They’re thinking: sea breeze + JBR + demolish Turkish ice-cream. All in a day’s work.
Career’s on the girl’s mind. And she’s looking at a map, to take the tram to Knowledge Village to sit under the trees and mull a parttime MBA. It’s the only way she’s ever going to earn more!
Not one to get sea sick (creek sick?), she’s going to take a Dh1 abra ride (no inflation!) from the creek to the souk to buy herself teensy gold charms for luck in this Year of the Rooster. How nice!
There’s always Bastakiya (while she’s in the Fahidi nabe). Our girl will spend time at the coffee museum, Villa 44, to understand and taste the nuances of an Arabica medium roast and tell it apart from a Venezuelan dark blend. One pour-over here, please!
BurJuman is on her Instagramfriendly itinerary, where she’s devouring an Okinawa Pearl Milk Tea (it has tapioca pearls at the bottom, dude!), then walking to Al Fahidi to film a time-lapse video of seagulls at dusk. All for those Likes.